Explanation:
The large stellar association cataloged as
NGC 206 is
nestled within the dusty arms of the neighboring
Andromeda galaxy.
Also known as M31,
the spiral galaxy is a mere
2.5 million light-years away.
NGC 206 is near top center in
this
gorgeous close-up of the southwestern
extent of
Andromeda's disk, a remarkable composite of data from
space and ground-based observatories.
The bright, blue
stars of
NGC 206 indicate its youth.
In fact, its youngest massive stars are less than 10 million years old.
Much larger than the open or galactic clusters of young stars
in the disk of our Milky Way galaxy,
NGC 206
spans about 4,000 light-years.
That's comparable in size to the giant stellar nurseries
NGC 604 in nearby spiral
M33 and the
Tarantula Nebula,
in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Star forming sites within Andromeda are revealed by the telltale
reddish emission from clouds of ionized hydrogen gas.